It had been three more months since Derek went back to work, five months since he was found, and he's practically made a full recovery. Penelope canceled the lease on her apartment and officially moved in with Derek. Since they had been so used to living in the downstairs bedroom, they stayed down there, instead of moving upstairs.
Penelope came back to her office from her lunch break to find a big, purple rose taped to her door. She was immediately confused but figured Derek must have put it there. She rolled her eyes with a smile and took it down.
She stepped into her office, expecting to find something moved or out of place, but everything was exactly the way she left it half-an-hour ago. She sat down, set the rose down on her desk, and powered up her computer to find, well, nothing. She wiggled her mouse, but still nothing.
At this point, Penelope was completely bewildered. So much so, that she couldn't even comprehend if she should be in a panic.
After a moment of sitting there, staring at the black screens, it lit up to a galaxy sky. She sat there, crinkling her eyebrows, scraping through her brain trying to figure out what the heck was going on. She started typing code in but was cut off when the screen went black again.
"What the hell!?" She shouted in frustration. Just before she could get up and storm out of her office to find whoever messed with her computers, the words, "Will you marry me," plastered on every one of her monitors.
She gasped and covered her mouth. She immediately knew who was behind this. She stood up to go find Derek but was surprised when she saw him standing in the doorway of her office with that huge grin on his face.
"Did you do this?" Penelope asked, tearfully, pointing at her screens which were now behind her.
"Yes, Princess," Derek said, walking up to Penelope and grabbing her hands. "Baby Girl, it became clear to me a long time ago that I can't live without you. And it took me another long time to tell you just how much I need you in my life. Seventeen months ago, when I was taken, you were the first person I thought of. I was terrified that I would never see your beautiful face ever again. When you found me, it was like I was given a second chance and I knew from that day forward that I would only be forward with how much you mean to me. Sweetness, you've been my lighthouse since I got back. If you weren't here with me, I would be lost. You mean the world to me, Doll Face," Derek said, getting down on one knee and pulling out a ring box.
"Oh my God," Penelope whispered, covering her mouth and with tears running down her face.
Derek opened the box to reveal a bright, red Ruby gem on a diamond-speckled gold band.
"Penelope Grace Garcia, will you marry me?" The question made her heart flutter with pure love and joy.
"Yes, yes, yes. A million times yes," Penelope said with excitement through her tears. Her hand shook when she held it out, but steadied as soon as Derek grabbed a hold of it. He placed the stone on her finger, kissed the back of her hand, and stood up to kiss her lips and pull her close. Tears of joy still streamed down her face.
Suddenly, they heard a loud *pop* outside of her office door. They looked outside to see Emily with a fizzing bottle of champagne in her hands and the cork sitting across the room.
"I would have done it in there, but I figured you'd be mad if I got champagne all over your babies," Emily said, getting a laugh out of the crowd. The rest of the team were standing around Emily, holding glasses in their hands.
"Did you all know about this?" Penelope asked.
"Yeah," JJ said.
"He's been working with Kevin to put this up on your screen," Aaron said with one of his rare, half-smiles.
"I've never seen this guy as nervous as he was when he was waiting for you to walk in there," Dave admitted.
"So, let's see that ring that Derek's been sweating over," JJ demanded. Penelope held out her left hand, letting the ladies there bask in its beauty.
Spencer handed Derek a glass and Emily handed Penelope a glass. The team drank and celebrated for a bit before they all got back to work.
"Ready, Derek?" Dave asked Derek just before he walked out to the altar. He and Penelope have spent the last month planning their wedding. Everything from the location to the table decor was perfect to a 'T' and they were ready to get this stepping stone under their belts.
"Absolutely," Derek said, adjusting the collar on his shirt.
Derek was dressed in a black tux with a white button-down shirt and a bright red tie. He had a pin of purple and red roses on his chest. He's been waiting for this day his entire life and he was more than ready to marry the woman of his dreams.
Fran walked into the room to see her son dressed for his big day.
"Oh, here I go!" Fran said, tearing up the moment she saw Derek.
"Hey, mama," Derek said, embracing his mother.
"Oh, your father would be so proud, Derek."
"I know, Ma. But you know he's watching."
"Every step you've taken since he died, he's been watching you. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes," Derek said.
Fran and Derek made their way to the altar, arm-in-arm. They climbed up three small steps and stood in front of the preacher.
"Okay, now I have to go get your bride," Fran said, letting go of Derek's arm.
"I didn't know you were walking her down," Derek said, confused. Penelope didn't talk about this part with him.
"Neither does she. I figured it would be a great surprise." Fran walked to the back where Penelope was getting ready.
"Ready, Garcie?" JJ asked the bride-to-be as Emily adjusted her tiara. Penelope was wearing a white, ankle-length dress. Her short sleeves were lacey and her tiara was the same one her mother wore on her wedding day. She wore white heels and her hair was up in a half pony-tail.
"Absolutely," Penelope said with a big smile. JJ handed Penelope a big bouquet of bright blue and purple roses.
Fran walked into the room and was stopped in her tracks when she saw Penelope in her dress.
"Mama Fran!" Penelope said, giving her soon-to-be mother-in-law a huge hug. "Wait, why are you here. You're supposed to be walking Derek out there."
"I already did, sweetie. He's waiting for you," Fran said.
"Okay. Then why are you back here?" Penelope asked. JJ and Emily smiled big because they already knew Fran's plan.
"Well, I'm well aware that your folks are watching this wedding from afar. So, I wanted to ask if I could do the honors of walking you down the aisle?"
"Really?" Penelope asked. She was surprised and felt so blessed that Fran wanted to do this for her.
"Of course! You'll be my daughter in a few minutes anyway," Fran said. A tear escaped Penelope's eye. Luckily, the makeup artist chose water-proof makeup for this occasion.
"I would love for you to walk me down the aisle."
"Good. Now let's get going," Fran said, holding her arm out for Penelope.
JJ walked out arm-in-arm with Aaron. Emily and Dave walked out arm-in-arm right behind them. JJ and Emily, as the bridesmaids, wore red, knee-length, thin sleeved dresses and held purple roses in their hands. Dave and Aaron, as the groomsmen, were dressed in black tuxes with black button-up shirts and white ties.
The wedding banquet was decked out with white and red streamers. There were purple bows on the outer chairs of each row and purple and blue rose petals lining the aisle.
The congregation stood up when Spencer began playing the 'wedding march' on the piano. Everyone turned to face the back of the room where Penelope stood at the end of the aisle, arm-in-arm with Derek's mother. There was a light whisper of 'wow' and 'she's so beautiful'.
Derek was star-struck at the sight of his bride. He thought she was beautiful before but damn did she beam in that dress. Penelope and Fran took slow steps toward the altar. Penelope had tears welling in her eyes watching her groom's smile grow bigger as she walked closer.
Derek stepped down from his spot when Penelope got to the steps. He kissed his mom and the cheek and took Penelope's hand.
"Ready?" Derek whispered to her.
"I'll show you ready, Hot Stuff," Penelope whispered back. Derek only grinned at this remark before walking her up the steps. And there they stood, hand in hand, in front of their family and friends. The preacher started speaking, but they couldn't hear anything. They were lost, lovingly, in each other's eyes and smiles.
"Now it's time for the reading of the vows," the preacher said.
"When I met you," Derek began, "this man standing behind me, Aaron Hotchner, was cutting you a deal," the team and Penelope laughed at this memory. "And if I do recall, after I handed you the keys to your office, the first thing you said to me was, and I quote, 'hey, eyebrows'," Derek paused, getting another laugh from the crowd, especially Aaron and Penelope, "'when they do the men of the FBI calendar, is it just twelve pages of you?'.
"Now, I was trained to keep a straight face when dealing with interviews, but you made it really hard to with that remark. And I'd never heard the sound of 'mortified' until you said 'talk dirty to me' when you answered Strauss' call," Another bolt of laughter came from the team. "Yeah, I knew there was something different about you right away, but I think that's what made me fall in love with you. And the strength that you've given me, especially over the last 6 months, make me absolutely sure that I will spend the rest of my life returning that strength," Derek finished and nodded at the preacher.
"Penelope," the preacher said, letting her know it was her turn.
"Wow, you expect me to top that?" Penelope joked, wiping a few tears on her cheeks. The crowd laughed lightly. "Well, my first day at the BAU, Spencer, even with his eidetic memory, told you my name was Gomez?" She paused for a laugh from the team. "And when that didn't work, you shout 'Baby Girl' at me. At first, I thought 'wow, that was rude', but I soon realized that that's not what you were. You have always been the most gentle, kind, and caring person I've ever met, even with your G-man job.
"You had my back before I thought anybody else would. We've had a special chemistry from day one that no one could break. I mean they tried, calling us out at that sexual harassment meeting," another roar of laughter came from Derek and the rest of the team. "And when you were gone, I knew from that very moment that I can't live without you, and I want every day of the rest of our lives to show you that. To show you how much you mean to me.
"To tell you that I love you, Derek Morgan, is an understatement," Penelope said, nodding to the preacher. He continued and the two exchanged rings and vowed each other their lives.
"Are there any objections to the joining of these two?" The preacher asked.
"No!" Emily said, wiping tears from her eyes. "Let them kiss already!" The crowd laughed.
"Well then. By the power vested in me and the state of Maryland, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." The preacher finished.
"This is the part where-" Penelope whispered.
"Yes, Doll Face," Derek cut her off, pulling her into a kiss. The congregation stood and cheered as the two walked back down the aisle.
The night continued on with dancing and drinking.
The cake was a 3-tier, chocolate cake with white buttercream frosting.
"Ooo chocolate, my favorite," Penelope commented, making eyes at Derek and getting a laugh from him and the team. The night kept going on its happy hue. After dinner and cake, Dave, Derek's best man, stood up and clinked his glass with a butter knife for a speech.
"Well, I think I can speak for the bride and groom and the FBI's BAU team when I say that, we all saw this one coming." The team laughed at the reality of this statement. "Nonetheless, I am very happy for this new couple. May the years ahead of you two be bright. Salud!" Dave concluded his speech. Emily stood up, as Penelope's maid of honor, for her speech.
"I still remember the day we found Derek, 6 months ago. Penelope finally confessed to us how much she loved this man. She told the whole team how worried she was that Derek would never know how she feels. And then she acted surprised when we told her that we already knew," Emily said with a chuckle. "But, you said it yourself," -Emily motioned towards Penelope- "There was always something special with you two and the universe wouldn't have it any other way. Cheers!" Emily concluded her speech and a round of applause filled the room as she sat back down.
The DJ called for the final dance and Derek and Penelope made their way to the center of the room. As the song began, Penelope placed one hand in Derek's and one hand on his shoulder. Derek had one hand in Penelope's and the other on the small of her back.
"Remember when you asked me to move in with you?" Penelope asked softly into his ear.
"Yes," Derek whispered back with a smile.
"Remember when I told you that I never thought I would be there with you like that?"
"I do."
"Well, I can say it again. I never thought I'd ever be here with you. I mean, I've always fantasized about this, but never imagined it would actually happen."
"Don't get me started on fantasies, Baby Girl," Derek said with his world-famous grin. Penelope reacted with a giggle, before not-so-accidentally stepping on his toes. "Ouch! Hey," Derek said, just loud enough to get the crowd's attention.
"Oops, sorry," Penelope giggled, laying her head on his chest.
"Yeah, okay."
The song was over and the two ran out of the banquet hall hand-in-hand through the raining bubbles blown by the crowd lining the walkway outside to the black SUV. It was decorated with streamers and window markers, signifying that they were married and driving off into their new lives together.
Derek opened the passenger side door for Penelope and closed it behind her, before running around to the driver's side.
They drove away, heading to the hotel they had booked for the night. The vehicle was full of laughter and excitement. Derek had one hand on the wheel, and the other holding Penelope's hand.
"I have a new nickname for you now," Derek said with a smile as he stopped at a stoplight.
"Really?"
"Wife," He said.
"Well then, I guess I have a new one too," Penelope said with a smile.
"And what might that be?'
"Husband."
Back at the banquet, Aaron and Emily stood next to each other, watching the newlyweds drive off.
"How long before they welcome baby Morgan into the world?" Aaron asked Emily.
"Before the end of the year," Emily said.
"It's already May."
"Your point?" Emily asked, getting a laugh out of her boss.
"I guess we'll know soon enough."